This invention relates to continuous loop cartridges and cartridge players, and particularly to means for effecting fast forward or reverse drive for the same.
Continuous loop tape cartridge player systems are well known in the art. Basically, the cartridge is comprised of a hub, a platen, a pressure roller, and guiding means to guide a continuous loop of tape. The tape is wound about the hub and guided through front access around the pressure roller. The tape player is provided with a vertically standing capstan which is rotatably driven off a motor actuated flywheel. The capstan is located such that on cartridge insertion into the player the capstan forcibly engages the pressure roller thus rotatably driving the roller. The tape, being pinched between the pressure roller and capstan, is thereby driven. Normally, such players have only been used to drive the tape in a forward direction whereby tape is pulled oiut from the inner loop of the hub and returned to anouter loop about the hub.
Two serious limitations to the continuous loop tape player combinations have impeded its popularity. First, there has been no known good way to actuate a fast forward mode of operation. It is not uncommon for a listener of tape to wish to race ahead to more important program material. To do this, clearly, requires increased capstan rate of rotation. It is known in the art to increase the motor speed, however this significantly reduces the motor's life. A second drawback has been that tape cartridge players are generally not reversible. A listener might wish to play back something he has just heard, and, with conventional systems he would have to wait for the entire tape to play before he would get to the desired material. Non-reversibility has also limited introduction of 8-track player-recorder combinations since recording requires reversibility to be practical.
While recent innovations have taught means for accomplishing a reverse mode in tape cartridge systems, such systems have had significant drawbacks. In a pending application to Bara (Ser. No. 379,293) it was taught that a tape cartridge may be reversely driven by poviding active drive to the cartridge hub itself. In Bara's embodiment, an additional access hole is provided in the cartridge housing which allows a drive member from the player access to the cartridge hub. In the reverse mode the player drive member advances into the access and forcibly engages the hub causing the hub to be driven with the member. In a second approach to a reversible continuous loop cartridge, jointly invented by Pellatier and myself, (Ser. No. 491,431), means are disclosed for providing a side access to the cartridge whereby a drive member from the player is allowed access to drive a hub from the side. In both prior art reversible cartridge systems, additional access openings are required into the cartridge, resulting in increased cost to manufacture and the possibility of reduced cartride reliablility due to the entrance of foreign matter. Furthermore, the player drive in such systems, especially Bara, is costly to manufacture.